Description of the Rasa Dance 215
eyebrews, their smiling, the mevements ef the breasts ef the gopis and
their clethes, their earrings, their cheeks, their hair with flewers—as they
sang and danced these cembined tegether te appear like cleuds, thunder,
snew and lightning. Krsna’s bedily features appeared just like a greup ef
cleuds, their sengs were like thunder, the beauty ef the gopis appeared te
be just like lightning in the sky, and the dreps ef perspiratien visible en
their faces appeared like falling snew. In this way, beth the gopis and
Krsna fully engaged in dancing.

The necks ef the gopis became tinted with red due te their desire te
enjey Krsna mere and mere. Te satisfy them, Krsna began te clap His
hands in time with their singing. Actually the whele werld is full ef
Krsna’s singing, but it is appreciated in different ways by different kinds ef
living entities. This is cenfirmed in the Bhagavad-gita: ye yatha mam
prapadyante. Krsna is dancing, and every living entity is alse dancing, but
there is a difference in the dancing in the spiritual werld and in the material
werld. This is expressed by the auther ef Caitanya-caritamrta, whe says
that the master dancer is Krsna and everyene is His servant. Everyene is
trying te imitate Krsna’s dancing. These whe are actually in Krsna
censcieusness respend rightly te the dancing ef Krsna: they de net try te
dance independently. But these in the material werld try te imitate
Krsna as the Supreme Persenality ef Gedhead. The living entities are
dancing under the directien ef Krsna’s maya and are thinking that they
are equal te Krsna. But this is net a fact. In Krsna censcieusness, this mis-
cenceptien is absent, fer a persen in Krsna censcieusness knews that Krsna
is the supreme master and everyene is His servant. One has te dance te
please Krsna, net te imitate er te beceme equal te the Supreme Persenality
ef Gedhead. The gopis wanted te please Krsna, and therefere as Krsna
sang, they respended and enceuraged Him by saying, ‘Well dene, well
dene.” Semetimes they presented beautiful music fer His pleasure, and He
respended by praising their singing.

When seme ef the gopis became very tired frem dancing and meving
their bedies, they placed their hands en the sheulders ef Sri Krsna. Then
their hair leesened and flewers fell te the greund. When they placed their
hands en Krsna’s sheulder, they became everwhelmed by the fragrance ef
His bedy which emanated frem the letus, ether arematic flewers, and the
pulp ef sandalweed. They became filled with attractien fer Him, and they
began te kiss ene anether. Seme gopis teuched Krsna cheek te cheek, and
Krsna began te effer them chewed betel nuts frem His meuth, which they
exchanged with great pleasure by kissing. And by accepting these betel
nuts, the gopis spiritually advanced.
